Sidwell College Admissions This Year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I am hearing now, it’s a very strong year for Sidwell. Many kids are in the process of deciding between great choices. Note to future classes: ED, SCEA, EA results are not indicative of anything other than schools locking in (with a lot of game theory) their institutional priorities. Stay chill and it will all work out.

That is not what I am hearing from my senior. I do not want to give more detail than this, as it would require talking about specific college destinations and therefore specific students. And this is not me as a parent being snooty about colleges. The students I am hearing about are unhappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Sidwell parent, but I understand that after 13 years of paying half a million dollars of tuition, parents expect more than settling for a college with greater than 50% acceptance rate. If you ask parents to adjust their expectations, you are basically telling them the money invested has been wasted. Why? Because they could have gone to a 50% acceptance rate college from a public school for free and save the tuition money for college.

+2 This is an anonymous forum, so I will be honest. I know I will get flamed, but here it is. Big3 parent. I can get excited about Wisconsin or Tulane, but sending my 34 ACT to Delaware or Elon is hard to take. Especially after spending $500k in private school.

Oh lord that HURTS. I would be utterly despondent if that happened to us- we are top 8 private in DC. By the grace of God, we have good options. If we didn’t, however, I could not blame the school. Still it seems like a group of disgruntled Sidwell parents need to place the blame (assuming there is any) where it belongs: on their dcs. You expect whispers of victimization from URM, not wealthy whites. On behalf of the culture, please stop blaming other people for things that you/DC could have prevented or (more likely) were simply unpreventable.

Is the bolded text for real or a joke? You must be new to this forum. It’s all about whispers of victimization from wealthy whites. And, again, assuming this is not a joke, on behalf of what culture? Please explain.

I am pretty sure this is sarcasm but I emphasize that it’s hard to tell. This thread is something.

This whole thread feels dirty. Nothing productive and either fake or too much identifying info. The Sidwell parents I know are highly educated and very relaxed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I am hearing now, it’s a very strong year for Sidwell. Many kids are in the process of deciding between great choices. Note to future classes: ED, SCEA, EA results are not indicative of anything other than schools locking in (with a lot of game theory) their institutional priorities. Stay chill and it will all work out.

That is not what I am hearing from my senior. I do not want to give more detail than this, as it would require talking about specific college destinations and therefore specific students. And this is not me as a parent being snooty about colleges. The students I am hearing about are unhappy.

Is it possible for you to say something broadly about the set of students this might cover? For example, is this still the group in the hardest classes that earlier threads were fretting about after ED/SCEA? Or is it more broad set kids with good GPA? Or something other group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I am hearing now, it’s a very strong year for Sidwell. Many kids are in the process of deciding between great choices. Note to future classes: ED, SCEA, EA results are not indicative of anything other than schools locking in (with a lot of game theory) their institutional priorities. Stay chill and it will all work out.

That is not what I am hearing from my senior. I do not want to give more detail than this, as it would require talking about specific college destinations and therefore specific students. And this is not me as a parent being snooty about colleges. The students I am hearing about are unhappy.

Is it possible for you to say something broadly about the set of students this might cover? For example, is this still the group in the hardest classes that earlier threads were fretting about after ED/SCEA? Or is it more broad set kids with good GPA? Or something other group?

My sense is it is a perception issue. Kids I know have a great choice but it was not their first choice nor did they have as many choices as previous years' kids. They also got some head scratching denials (good kids who were way above stats). So some may view as good news bc they are into great schools but others may view it as disappointing bc wasn't what they were hoping for. Both are probably partially correct.

Sorry i can't share more info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I am hearing now, it’s a very strong year for Sidwell. Many kids are in the process of deciding between great choices. Note to future classes: ED, SCEA, EA results are not indicative of anything other than schools locking in (with a lot of game theory) their institutional priorities. Stay chill and it will all work out.

That is not what I am hearing from my senior. I do not want to give more detail than this, as it would require talking about specific college destinations and therefore specific students. And this is not me as a parent being snooty about colleges. The students I am hearing about are unhappy.

Is it possible for you to say something broadly about the set of students this might cover? For example, is this still the group in the hardest classes that earlier threads were fretting about after ED/SCEA? Or is it more broad set kids with good GPA? Or something other group?

PP. My senior is not part of that math/science group and so we do not talk about those students as such, so even if I might know some of them I do not hear about them in that context and do not know who is in that group. I am talking about seniors from the more broad group of strong students.

[Anonymous]

Thx to both PP's answers.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn’t sidwell send more kids to Oxbridge or grand ecoles if woke policies are freezing them out of American schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a hard message to deliver and I apologize in advance. A 3.7 just isn’t all that compelling and neither is a 34 ACT relatively speaking for top 15 universities even coming from a great school like Sidwell. If your kid isn’t a NMF and/or Presidential Scholar candidate and done some substantive internships or academic research outside of school, and hit > 3.9 overall GPA having taken the Math I — Math IV sequence plus all the accelerated 1A sciences plus four years of language, plus a >1560 SAT or 35/36 ACT, you really don’t get on the radar screen of the top 15 schools. Exception is the hooked kids — namely athletes, legacies and URM, but a couple of those hooked kids have the former qualifications, too, making them spectacularly attractive applicants. These schools really know Sidwell and for example understand that a solid A from Math III is a pretty powerful academic signal. I just cannot sit by and continue to watch the Sidwell CCO get trashed the way it is by some folks on this forum. In the aggregate, they are doing a good job in a very challenging and competitive environment. The reality is, putting aside the “branding” element, the top 30 - 50 schools offer a great education. Sidwell parent of senior.

This is a bizarre expectation of any high school student, regardless of what high school they attend. My college student hasn’t had either of those yet, and not for lack of trying.

It is very hard for a regular kid to get those opportunities. But you have a contingent of kids whose parents are academics, doctors, researchers or C suite in Universities, who are able to access these ECs and stand out in college applications.

Ok, so I am a researcher at NIH and my boss calls and says there is a high school kid who wants an internship. What responsiblities am I seriously giving this kid, other than to clean test tubes and MAYBE prep some slides? It is ridiculous to think that I am putting my grant research or academic standing on the line for this.

Still loads better than the zero opportunities my kid has as an unconnected kid. My kid who is great on paper and in person, couldn’t even get a job at the mall.

Then he didn't try very hard. Sorry, but I don't believe this.

There are kids in science research programs that have reached out to a hundred scientists to find a mentor. They just need one yes to create some kind of project. The ones don't actually get to do so something on a lab have done statistical surveys, retrospective projects using existing data, etc. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Instead of doing this, I wish these kids would work entry level service jobs. If they did, we’d probably have a better society. My kid is at another independent and we let our kid find their own job. They weren’t trying to “build their resume” or Linked in page. They were working to earn money. They worked with people from different backgrounds and experienced what it was like to work a service job. They worked on the weekends during the school year and had other extracurriculars. They got deferred and waitlisted from some top schools, but got into others. We know other kids who worked also and did well with admissions without having a list of publications or internships on their application. I can’t help but wonder if colleges appreciated seeing kids from affluent DMV zipcodes working at regular jobs when they didn’t have to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I am hearing now, it’s a very strong year for Sidwell. Many kids are in the process of deciding between great choices. Note to future classes: ED, SCEA, EA results are not indicative of anything other than schools locking in (with a lot of game theory) their institutional priorities. Stay chill and it will all work out.

That is not what I am hearing from my senior. I do not want to give more detail than this, as it would require talking about specific college destinations and therefore specific students. And this is not me as a parent being snooty about colleges. The students I am hearing about are unhappy.

Is it possible for you to say something broadly about the set of students this might cover? For example, is this still the group in the hardest classes that earlier threads were fretting about after ED/SCEA? Or is it more broad set kids with good GPA? Or something other group?

PP. My senior is not part of that math/science group and so we do not talk about those students as such, so even if I might know some of them I do not hear about them in that context and do not know who is in that group. I am talking about seniors from the more broad group of strong students.

The so-called "top math and science" kids I know all have wonderful options for the fall; in many cases top choices that came back around at RD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn’t sidwell send more kids to Oxbridge or grand ecoles if woke policies are freezing them out of American schools?

most SFS kids are fine with what you are calling woke policies even if it limits their own acceptances and options; and SFS sends plenty of kids to a wide variety of foreign schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn’t sidwell send more kids to Oxbridge or grand ecoles if woke policies are freezing them out of American schools?

The demise of the SAT II and move away from classes that prepare students for AP tests have made it much more difficult to apply to Oxford and Cambridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not a Sidwell parent. My kids go to a different private school. We were less than impressed by our college counseling as well. In hindsight I realize what someone else already mentioned. The school college counselors don’t really care about your individual kid. They are trying to get the best results for the school. What they want sometimes works in your favor and sometimes against it. Advice for future parents - Do your own research. Hire a private counselor who is your kid’s advocate. Listen to your school counselor but keep in mind that sometimes you need to ignore their advice. No one cares about your kids applications as much as you and your kid.

Private counselors are not calling colleges on your kids behalf. As such, what do you mean by the bolded?

I agree that private counselors are not calling colleges on your behalf. I mean they will help you make a list that is 100% focused on what is best for your child. They won’t discourage your kid from applying to a particular school because it is the first choice of a VIP’s kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

How do you define top students? I know one student who took most rigorous courses (both math and science) with almost 4.0 GPA didn’t get into any Ivy except for one WL. A lot of students think the student is top 4 although Sidwell neither ranks nor weights the difficulty of the courses. But most students know who are truly top students. High GPA with all easy courses are not comparable with the same high GPA but taking the most difficult math (III and IV) and science courses (Physics II)

What I don't understand is why you are so shocked by that. Is this kid owed a slot at an Ivy, just because s/he did well at Sidwell?

What all Sidwell underclassman parents had better wake up to is this: Top schools, and ivies in particular, have changed the profile of the kind of kid(s) they are looking for. They are no longer (as) interested in east coast prep school kids who have perfect stats, like they were back in the day when you were in high school. The formula now is top kid at an urban or rural school, first gen (that is REALLY big - how many of those do you think there are at Sidwell?) and THEN the grades/ stats/ activities to back it up.

Seriously, there is still time to move to North Dakota.

URM, recruited athlete and/or 7 figure donor.

Athletes, $$$$, and legacy for some schools (like Harvard and more likely wealthy, long standing legacy) probably more than all the others. Most athletes at the schools you are talking about are white and come from affluent backgrounds. If your 1560, 1570 3.9 or 4.0 advanced math and advanced humanities kid is not getting in, it is more like the spot was filled by an affluent, white athlete. Just go look at the bios on the team rosters and see the schools and towns they come from. Go look at how much higher the admissions rate is for athletes. Then go look at the sports teams at these schools. How many sports they have. Then think about who plays those sports and how much money and access to facilities, coaching, trainers, etc. it takes to play and excel at those sports. This is the “affirmative action” of affluent primarily white kids. These are the kids getting in instead of your kid.

https://scholarshipstats.com/ivies

Oh, and if your kid does get in and you are full pay, you get to pay to subsidize these teams that your kids will in all likelihood never be able to play on. When you look at the economics of it, these teams cost more than they bring in. Also, once kids get in, a number of them stop playing their sport before graduation. They used it to get in but they aren’t required to continue (this is not necessarily true for athletes at non-Ivies who are on athletic scholarship which the Ivies don’t provide).

I was an athlete. One of my kids is an athlete. We are a sports loving family. The fact that my athletic kid gets an advantage over their siblings who devote just as much time to their outside interests doesn’t seem right to me. My kids that don’t play sports at the recruitment level know that they better do even better than their high stats sibling to get a chance at the same schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn’t sidwell send more kids to Oxbridge or grand ecoles if woke policies are freezing them out of American schools?

most SFS kids are fine with what you are calling woke policies even if it limits their own acceptances and options; and SFS sends plenty of kids to a wide variety of foreign schools

Different CCO office but I was told that Oxbridge even more difficult admit than Ivies but wondering if that is outdated info. In days of 3% American admissions rates, maybe that is the way to go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a hard message to deliver and I apologize in advance. A 3.7 just isn’t all that compelling and neither is a 34 ACT relatively speaking for top 15 universities even coming from a great school like Sidwell. If your kid isn’t a NMF and/or Presidential Scholar candidate and done some substantive internships or academic research outside of school, and hit > 3.9 overall GPA having taken the Math I — Math IV sequence plus all the accelerated 1A sciences plus four years of language, plus a >1560 SAT or 35/36 ACT, you really don’t get on the radar screen of the top 15 schools. Exception is the hooked kids — namely athletes, legacies and URM, but a couple of those hooked kids have the former qualifications, too, making them spectacularly attractive applicants. These schools really know Sidwell and for example understand that a solid A from Math III is a pretty powerful academic signal. I just cannot sit by and continue to watch the Sidwell CCO get trashed the way it is by some folks on this forum. In the aggregate, they are doing a good job in a very challenging and competitive environment. The reality is, putting aside the “branding” element, the top 30 - 50 schools offer a great education. Sidwell parent of senior.

This is a bizarre expectation of any high school student, regardless of what high school they attend. My college student hasn’t had either of those yet, and not for lack of trying.

It is very hard for a regular kid to get those opportunities. But you have a contingent of kids whose parents are academics, doctors, researchers or C suite in Universities, who are able to access these ECs and stand out in college applications.

Ok, so I am a researcher at NIH and my boss calls and says there is a high school kid who wants an internship. What responsiblities am I seriously giving this kid, other than to clean test tubes and MAYBE prep some slides? It is ridiculous to think that I am putting my grant research or academic standing on the line for this.

Still loads better than the zero opportunities my kid has as an unconnected kid. My kid who is great on paper and in person, couldn’t even get a job at the mall.

Then he didn't try very hard. Sorry, but I don't believe this.

There are kids in science research programs that have reached out to a hundred scientists to find a mentor. They just need one yes to create some kind of project. The ones don't actually get to do so something on a lab have done statistical surveys, retrospective projects using existing data, etc. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Instead of doing this, I wish these kids would work entry level service jobs. If they did, we’d probably have a better society. My kid is at another independent and we let our kid find their own job. They weren’t trying to “build their resume” or Linked in page. They were working to earn money. They worked with people from different backgrounds and experienced what it was like to work a service job. They worked on the weekends during the school year and had other extracurriculars. They got deferred and waitlisted from some top schools, but got into others. We know other kids who worked also and did well with admissions without having a list of publications or internships on their application. I can’t help but wonder if colleges appreciated seeing kids from affluent DMV zipcodes working at regular jobs when they didn’t have to do so.

Huh? The kids that want to do research should do research if they are able and the kids that want to work entry level service jobs should do that if they are able. Either is fine.